Review: HOW I LEARNED WHAT I LEARNED at RESIDENT ENSEMBLE PLAYERS
What did our critic think of HOW I LEARNED WHAT I LEARNED at RESIDENT ENSEMBLE PLAYERS?
A one-man show is a monumental undertaking—and a monumental responsibility. For veteran REP actor Hassan El-Amin – who is Black -there is further gravitas in giving voice to August Wilson’s HOW I LEARNED WHAT I LEARNED, a 90-minute, no-intermission journey through the experiences that forged one of America’s greatest playwrights.
Wilson created the remarkable American Century Cycle, ten plays chronicling the African American experience across ten decades of the 20th century. They include Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Fences and The Piano Lesson, the latter two earning Pulitzer Prizes. His works have been produced on Broadway and around the world. Denzel has made them part of his life’s work.
Wilson himself made his professional stage debut performing HOW I LEARNED WHAT I LEARNED. The work is episodic, almost picaresque—a journey through his youth, his influences and the experiences that ultimately shaped his stagecraft.
And Pittsburgh is always there.
Wilson grew up in the city’s Hill District, a predominantly Black neighborhood that became the spiritual and geographical center of much of his writing. It was there that he confronted poverty, racism, odd jobs, danger, art, love and the stubborn dignity inherited from his mother.
This is not so much a lecture as a lived-through reckoning. It is funny, cutting, elegiac and furious in the way only Wilson can be.
Wilson learned early that racism could be both pervasive and absurd—from segregation to employers who regarded Black workers as disposable. The racial epithet that haunted his world is heard repeatedly, and the language and incidents can be graphic. El-Amin voices them with pain, pride and resonance, never allowing the words to become merely historical artifacts.
That is one of the considerable challenges of a one-man show. There is nowhere for an actor to hide. No scene partner arrives to change the energy. No ensemble provides relief. Everything—pace, rhythm, character, tension, humor—rests on one performer.
El-Amin is more than equal to the assignment.
He possesses the vocal dexterity to inhabit Wilson’s parade of characters, giving each distinctive nuances while constantly shifting the dynamics of the evening. He commands the stage with passion, humor and, when demanded, rage. Yet the performance never becomes simply an exercise in anger. Beneath it is Wilson’s profound understanding of human dignity.
His mother’s maxim—“Something is not always better than nothing”—becomes both the spine of the evening and a statement of Wilson’s artistic ethic. There are things worth refusing. There are compromises that cost more than they provide.
At one point El-Amin wears a T-shirt bearing the name of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, with “I AM WHITE” emblazoned on the back. It is a deliberately provocative image, entirely in keeping with Wilson’s willingness to challenge his audience. Wilson died in 2005 at only 60. One cannot help wondering what this fiercely observant writer would have made of America’s political and judicial battles two decades later. He would shudder at today’s Court with Thomas as the MAGA ringleader.
El-Amin ultimately takes us through the crucible that formed August Wilson: Pittsburgh, poverty, racism, work, women, danger, poetry and an unwavering belief that the Black experience deserved to be placed center stage in the American theatre.
Set designer Stephanie Hansen has created another visually arresting environment. This is hardly new news. For the 19 years Aisle Say has been attending REP productions, its scenic designs have repeatedly functioned as another character in the play—never merely decorating the action, but helping define it.
Aisle Say is proud to have reviewed REP throughout those years. It is stunning that the majority of the actors have been here all these 19 years.
With HOW I LEARNED WHAT I LEARNED, Hassan El-Amin commands the stage with passion, intelligence and emotional force. He leaves his audience engaged and mesmerized.
And perhaps—if we are willing to listen—a little changed.
Through September 20
Rep.Udel.edu 302 831-2204
Next Up: FIREFLIES – October 29 – November 15
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